1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to polymeric hair fixatives, an aqueous-based solution process for making polymer fixatives, and to water-based hair spray formulations which meet VOC standards.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recent legislation in California and other states have mandated that hair sprays and other products must have low volatile organic chemicals (VOC) in the composition. Many useful hair fixatives, however, are compatible with alcohol or hydrocarbon solvents only. Accordingly, there is a need for water-based hair spray fixatives which can be formulated into hair spray compositions which can meet VOC regulations. Preferably it is desired to provide new and effective hair spray polymers or fixatives which can be prepared in aqueous medium, and thus can be formulated directly into water-based hair spray compositions which meet VOC requirements. Another object of the invention is to provide such compositions which exhibit good fixative properties, including effective substantivity, conditioning, hold and curl retention properties for the user.
Vinyl caprolactam (VCL)-vinyl pyrrolidone (VP)-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) terpolymers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,521,404 and are marketed under the trademark GAFFIX.RTM. resins as a 35-40% solids suspension in ethanol. Attempts to prepare aqueous suspensions of the terpolymer have proven unfeasible due to the relatively low cloud points of these terpolymers; and gradual ethanol-water exchange have proved tedious and uneconomical. Furthermore, such resinous suspensions in a hydroalcohol medium require the addition of thickening agents for gel and paste formulations.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide polymer hair fixatives of VCL-VP-DMAEMA terpolymers which includes acrylic acid, a process for preparing such polymers in an aqueous or aqueous-alcoholic solvent, wherein the viscosity of the polymer product can be controlled in a predetermined manner, and in which the compositional ranges of monomers in the terpolymer will provide useful fixatives for aqueous-based hair spray compositions.
These and other objects and features of the invention will be made apparent from the following description thereof.